


To Life

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Introspection, Mornings, Nature, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 06:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15723420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Caer Pelyn is especially beautiful in the mornings.





	To Life

It seems so long ago that she couldn't breathe in the mountain air without feeling lightheaded. After so many visits back and forth, and now going on two years of Caer Pelyn as her home, she barely feels the effects. But just the same, she rises slowly, seeing no need to rush through the morning.

It rained last night, but she can barely tell as she looks out the window. The sky's so blue, and she can practically feel the sunlight against her skin. The grass is the same brilliant shade of green as that of Renais, and she hears birds chirping as they begin their own day. Eirika considers her robe, hanging neatly from the bedpost, before she decides to skip it as well as her slippers as she heads for the front door.

The cottage she shares with Saleh is larger than most in Caer Pelyn, but still small compared to Castle Renais. It's a perfect size, Eirika thinks as she steps out onto the porch and sits down, dipping her toes into the soft green grass. The scent of rain still lingers in the air, and there's barely a cloud in the sky.

Days like this make her wish she'd come to live here forever sooner. Not _too_ much sooner, of course, her first priority after the war had been to help Ephraim and the others rebuild. She wouldn't have missed Ephraim and Tana's wedding for the world, nor the birth of their first child, or Franz's promotion to Seth's second-in-command. Not to mention the various other events in the lives of their friends, whether or not she was there or simply received word of their happenings.

But the first morning she awoke in Saleh's arms and realized this was her life from now on, she'd never felt more at home.

"Good morning," she murmurs to nobody in particular. The village, the sky, the grass, the birds, herself. Spirits are everywhere, she'd learned from talking to Saleh and adapting to his way of life, and they can hear you.

"Good morning yourself." She turns around to see Saleh, fully dressed and standing behind her. Many years ago she'd have blushed at him seeing her sitting out here in her nightgown, but today she only smiles.

"It's such a beautiful morning, I couldn't wait to get dressed first," she says with a soft laugh...just before her stomach growls. "Of course, I might be able to appreciate it more once we've had breakfast." Saleh chuckles, extending a hand to her as she stands up.

"I've prepared a meal for us. I thought to ask you, but..."

"But by now, you know what I like and dislike," she finishes. Blackberries, for example, and she can smell the blackberry compote he fixes every so often. Caer Pelyn's soil is rich for being atop a mountain range, but some crops are harder to come by than others. Blackberries being among them, they harvest as many as they can when they come into season.

There's tea, fresh bread, and boiled eggs waiting alongside the compote, and they sit down to eat. The cusine is less fancy than in Renais, but far from simple and plain with the variety of herbs Dara grows and the plants Eirika has learned are edible. Dandelion leaves, for example, are said to be toxic when raw, but the tea he's made with them is exquisite.

"Plants are like people," he says, "there's always something they can contribute, even if it takes some coaxing to find it." Eirika smiles.

"Even the ones who seem to wither and faint the first time they come to the mountains."

"You've adapted beautifully, and I couldn't be prouder of you." He sips his tea. It took her several visits to truly get used to the height of the mountain, but thanks to the breathing exercises he taught her and the constant exposure, it feels like she was meant to be this high up. It's like riding on Tana's pegasus, only staying still.

"I'm glad I did." Renais will always remain strong in her heart, but Caer Pelyn, its people, the beautiful views, Saleh...they're her home now.

He raises his teacup to hers for a quick toast.

"To life." The sun filters through the window, shining more brightly than ever.

"To life." She clinks her cup with his.


End file.
